Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis on Wednesday outlined the
government's targets for economic diplomacy and stressed the climate of
cooperation between the government and Greek business, during the
presentation of a new Internet portal providing businesses with
information on new markets.

Taking the stand, Deputy Foreign Minister Evripides Stylianides
outlined the results achieved through economic diplomacy so far -
particularly the "spectacular" results in the Balkans - and the
government's future plans in this area.

He said that there were over 3,500 Greek businesses active in southeast
Europe at present, representing a total investment of six billion euros
and accounting for some 200,000 jobs. In addition, there were more than
700 bank branches in the region, which controlled a 13.1 per cent share
of the Balkan banking market.

According to Stylianides, Greece was the top country for investments in
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Serbia and
Montenegro, the second-largest investor in Bulgaria and the
third-largest investor in Romania.

He also noted that Greek exports to southeast Europe had increased by
10.16 per cent in 2004 and 2005, whereas the average yearly increase in
exports between 2001 and 2004 was just 1.12 per cent.

The minister said the new Internet portal www.agora.mfa.gr gave
businesses the opportunity to collect, reliably process and easily
access information on interesting markets worldwide.

Greece and Libya on Wednesday signed a cooperation memorandum for
regular consultations on matters of mutual interest between the Greek
and Libyan foreign ministries, during a visit to the country by Greek
Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Valynakis.

Valynakis expressed his satisfaction with the traditionally good ties
between Greece and Libya, noting that his was the second visit by a
Greek minister to Libya within the space of two months, and stressed
that the Greek government was ready to further develop these ties on
all levels.

The Greek minister particularly praised Libya's decision to abandon
programmes for the production of weapons of mass destruction, saying
that this decision had set in motion a chain of events that had brought
Libya into the forefront of international news and had earned it high
respect in the international community.

Valynakis and his Libyan counterpart also referred to policy for the
Mediterranean Sea, noting that this should be an area of "peace and
cooperation" and a "means of communication between neighbouring
friendly states".